What is a meme? An element of mainstream culture that can take the form of an image, video or text, often with humorous or mocking content. However, here are some examples of when memes turned into much more than simple entertainment.
- The recent news that the former New York City Mayor and current contender for the Democratic party presidential nomination, Michael Bloomberg, has invested big money into the Meme 2020 project, sending satirical messages to various Instagram account holders to highlight his campaign, has left netizens in stitches. His efforts were, however, countered very quickly with some critical memes. Bloomberg likely is not that familiar with Newton’s Third Law of Motion.
The incumbent President Donald Trump also has a devoted follower and meme creator Carpe Donktum, whose works have often been shared by the POTUS himself. According to reports, the creator was once even invited to the Oval Office to meet the president.
One should be careful in using memes for political purposes though. Republican Rep. from Iowa Steve King has been under fire for using the iconic “Success Kid” meme for his fundraising campaign, with the mother of the photogenic child threatening to sue the politician.
Democratic Sen. Bryan Townsend has also been under threat of resignation after posting a meme on Twitter, comparing conservative media personality Rush Limbaugh to a member of the Ku Klux Klan.